Apple admits iPhone 6 has ‘Touch Disease’

CALIFORNIA: Apple has finally admitted that the iPhone 6 has a problem named “Touch Disease”, a glitch that leaves the handset’s touch screen inoperable.

The problem surfaced in August when repair site iFixit diagnosed a problem with controller chips that lost electrical contact with the phablet’s motherboard.

Apple, as is its wont, remained silent … until Thursday US time when a Multi-Touch Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus page appeared on its site.

“Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device,” the page reads, before outlining a repair program.

For US$149, Apple will fix the device provided the phone “is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken”. That’s the same price as a new screen, but rather less than the $329 charged for out of warranty services.

For owners who have already paid for repairs, Apple will refund the difference between the price of that service and the $149 deal offered under this program.

Apple’s copping a fair bit of criticism at the moment for not offering innovative new products. Its Watch has mostly tanked and the new MacBook Pro and its Touch Bar represents a rather smaller step forward than Microsoft’s touchy Surface Studio workstation.